USC Goes by the Board to Cal

As far as postseason resumes go, USC’s qualifications don’t exactly place the Trojans at the top of the hefty stack of applications that the National Invitation Tournament selection committee will sort through Sunday.

Experience: Got thumped by California, 82-67, in a Pacific 10 Conference tournament quarterfinal Thursday at Staples Center to lose for the seventh time in nine games.

Skills: Displayed an uncanny ability to get pounded on the glass, with the entire Trojan team being outrebounded by Golden Bear forward Leon Powe, 20-15.

References: Please check with Roy Williams and Lute Olson, but don’t ask Ben Braun.

Braun’s Bears became the first team to post a three-game season sweep of the Trojans since Arizona accomplished the feat in 1990. Powe, whose 20 rebounds were a career high and a Pac-10 tournament record, was a big reason Cal outrebounded USC, 40-15.

“We were beaten by a better team today, a team that manhandled us on the glass,” Trojan Coach Tim Floyd said. “Any time you’re outrebounded, 40-15, you’re probably not going to win. We had a total of eight rebounds from our starters, guys who played 146 out of 200 minutes.”

USC (17-13) did not set a record for rebounding futility -- it secured only 12 rebounds in a 1969 game against UCLA -- but its inability to fight for second-chance points proved critical during a stretch of 8 minutes 35 seconds in the second half in which it didn’t make a field goal.

By the time Trojan freshman forward RouSean Cromwell ended the drought with a layup with 9:23 left, Cal (19-9) had transformed a game that USC actually led early in the second half into a double-digit advantage for the Bears.

“They were outrebounding us, playing aggressive.... They just wanted to win more,” said Trojan sophomore swingman Nick Young, who had 20 points before fouling out with 3:31 remaining.

Powe had 22 points and set another Pac-10 tournament record by attempting 17 free throws, making 12. In three games against USC this season, the 6-foot-8 sophomore averaged 21.3 points and 15 rebounds.

“I was just having fun,” said Powe, who only played 12 minutes in the first half because of foul trouble. “I wanted to go out there and play hard and get something going inside.”

The Trojans also wanted to establish themselves inside the three-point arc after attempting a season-high 35 three-pointers and making only eight last Saturday during a 71-60 loss to the Bears at Haas Pavilion.

For the most part, USC took smarter shots and capitalized in the early going. The Trojans made 61.9% of their shots in the first half and went into the locker room with a 33-31 lead after Gabe Pruitt made a three-pointer in the closing seconds.

But after Pruitt made a three-pointer early in the second half and then gave the Trojans a 41-39 lead with a pair of free throws, Cal took control with a 12-1 run.

“It was a combination of not making shots and them playing good defense,” said USC junior guard Lodrick Stewart, who missed his five shots from the field and finished with one point. “You have to give credit where credit is due because they were playing great ‘D’ on us, like switching on every cut.”

The Trojans used one final push to make it 67-61 with 5:54 left on a three-pointer by Dwayne Shackleford, but their comeback chances fizzled when Young fouled out and Pruitt took a knee in the shin and had trouble in the final three minutes.

Now comes the reality check for USC. Does a team that defeated North Carolina and stood at 15-6 after a victory over Arizona on Feb. 2 deserve to keep playing after fading so badly down the stretch?

“Who knows?” Floyd said. “It’s not in our hands. I do know that we would welcome it.”

Said Pruitt: “I feel we deserve to keep playing after we proved early on in the season that we could play with anybody. Even with the losses we had, we were right there.”